In response to the ongoing concerns related to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Archery Canada Board of Directors have taken a number of decisions affecting national archery tournaments until July 31. The Canada Cup, scheduled to take place June 5-7 in Winnipeg, MB along with the 83rd edition of the Canadian Outdoor Archery Championships, planned to be hosted for the first time in PEI this year from July 17-25, are both cancelled.

In addition to these cancellations, the Board has suspended the start of the Outdoor Mailmatch, Canada’s annual cross country virtual tournament held from June 1st to September 30. A shortened version of this activity may be announced as the situation evolves over the next few months.

The Board has suspended the Federation’s recognition of tournaments in its calendar for the purposes of Canadian records, and Canadian Ranking lists until July 31. Currently registered events will be cancelled on the Archery Canada calendar and no further registrations will be approved until further notice and public health restrictions are lifted.

These decisions have been made following available information from our partners in sport and government advisories taking into consideration the following:

• Protecting the health and welfare of the athletes, officials, coaches and volunteers
• Supporting efforts to minimize the spread of COVID-19 within our communities and across Canada
• Public health guidelines regarding facility closures, gathering restrictions and physical distancing requirements which are likely to remain in place for some time, and which impact an athlete’s ability to train and prepare for competition
• Protecting the host organizations from potential financial hardships in the face of a potential drop in overall participation or eventual cancellation at a later date.

“These have been difficult decisions in difficult times. The Board and I wish to thank our Provincial and Club partners in suspending organized archery activities in Canada until we receive advice from Health Authorities that we may continue,” said Al Wills, President of Archery Canada. “We could not see any scenario that would allow for our members to safely compete at our National Championships in 2020, as there are just too many unknowns. We will endeavor to adjust our tournament calendar as soon as we are better informed.”

The Archery Canada Board does not want to decree whether local or provincial events should be held, as there are regional differences related to the response to the situation. However, all clubs and their directors should be aware that they must act in compliance with the guidance of their Provincial/Territorial Archery Association, local/Provincial public health orders and physical distancing guidelines and requirements. Insurance policies may not be in effect for regular club operations if they contravene public health orders.

Archery Canada will continue to meet with its Provincial/Territorial Archery Associations to discuss and better understand the situation across Canada and support its member association and archers as we prepare for the possibility of the resumption of activity later this summer. A number of contingency plans are being developed for events across the country and more information will be released as it becomes available.